Dragonborn Experiences
by reikat
Summary: A series of first-person drabbles written from the POV of various characters who interact with Eriah Quintence, my Dragonborn. The drabbles correspond with a specific one-shot but there could be exceptions. Deals mainly with Ulfric and Farkas but others, including Eriah herself, will find their way in as they are inspired.
1. Ulfric

_Author's Note: This drabble tells of Ulfric's thoughts during **Attack on Helgen**. Rewritten slightly to account for an oversight I recently discovered when writing **Destiny's Pull**._

I remember when I first saw you. It was mere moments after being captured by the Imperials at Darkwater Crossing. You were already unconscious, the telltale signs of a blow to the head evident in the torch lights. You were in Cyrodillic clothes, which made it obvious where you had come from. I must admit I was curious about you. You were a nameless traveler then. Why were you here in Skyrim, I questioned in my mind as I was gagged and bound. If you had come from Cyrodiil as your clothing indicated, then surely you knew of the war that I was waging. Ralof was curious as well. You and the horse thief were taken to the house where the ambush had been laid. When you were brought back, still unconscious, your clothes had been replaced by threadbare rags and your hands were bound. You were the first to be loaded into the wagon. You nearly fell out but Ralof, who had gotten in after you, managed to prevent that. The horse thief, also unconscious, was thrown on next. I was last into the wagon and it started to move. I kept an eye on you to make sure you weren't unseated.

As we rode throughout the night and into the next day through the Rift, you still hadn't awoken. I was beginning to wonder if the Imperials had somehow managed to unintentionally kill you with that blow to the head but it was only the steady rise and fall of your chest that told me otherwise. Unable to speak, I was left to ponder. For some strange reason, you fascinated me and I didn't know why. There was something about you that seemed...off and yet...powerful. My eyes told me I was just seeing one of my kinsmen but something deep down told me I wasn't looking at a mere woman caught by chance in the ambush we Stormcloaks landed in. I wondered if you were even aware of it yourself. Ralof ventured guesses on who you were and why you had been in Darkwater Crosssing that night. Until you woke, all we had were guesses. You have to commend Ralof. Throughout the night, he made sure that you weren't jostled too much by the rough terrain. We had no way of knowing just how badly you had been hurt when the Imperials took us.

It wasn't until the sun broke over the horizon on the 17th that you awoke. You were dazed and confused. You were clearly feeling the pain in your head. Ralof was the first to notice. I had long retreated to my own thoughts, wondering where we were headed and if there was a way to get us out of this so we could continue the fight. But when it was apparent you were awake, I allowed myself to listen. You didn't remember what happened. Ralof filled you in as best he could, which prompted an outburst from the thief in front of me. That's when you looked at me. I met your gaze evenly and was thrown for a loop at the power in your eyes. You didn't seem to realize you possessed it. I never told you but I heard your breath hitch when you looked at me. Were you afraid of me, Dragonborn? If so, why? I broke contact first, just as the thief wondered about my particular state. Ralof is a good man and his loyalty to me is unquestioned. He spoke my name and declared me to be the true High King. I paid little mind, unsure of how we were going to get of the mess we were in. Galmar and the rest of my army had no idea what happened to me and my contingent. That's when I saw you pinch the bridge of your nose as if you had a bad headache.

I wondered briefly if it had been the blow the Imperials gave you but you said otherwise. That's when our met a second time. I was concerned but that didn't stop me from feeling caution. I was becoming more convinced by the minute that you weren't some random woman. Your eyes belied that strange power I had seen in only one group of men. My mentors, the Greybeards, had those same eyes. Your eyes were like mine. Eyes that told others that you were stronger than anyone else. Your pain seemed to cease for the time being as we approached a village I recognized as Helgen. That's when the Legion's plan became clear to me. They meant to execute me quietly to avoid making me a martyr and to prevent the Stormcloaks from rescuing us in time. I was defiant. I refused to be defeated and despite my misgivings about you, Dragonborn, your strength helped bolster my courage beyond what it was to start with. I could sense that you also understood what was going to happen because you had grown quiet and your fear was starting to show. My heart went out to you. You were to be executed alongside me and my soldiers for no reason apart from being in the same place as us. You were young. A mere thirty summers. Too soon to leave this world.

When we climbed down from the wagons to have our names read off by that young Nord Legionnaire, I was possessed by a desire to comfort you in the only way I could. To apologize for a life ended through no fault but mine. I reached out and took your arm. When our eyes locked for the third time since you woke, I willed some of my strength to you. The same strength you unknowingly gave me. I gave you a nod meant to convey that everything would be alright, that we would meet again in Sovngarde. I could tell your courage was bolstered and your eyes regained that edge I still couldn't pin down. My name, along with my soldiers, were read off and the horse thief tried to run, declaring that he was no rebel and they didn't have the right to kill him. He was shot down in short order, the first casualty of our predicament. That's when the Legionnaire was confronted with you, a woman whose name wasn't on the list. I listened carefully and remembered you had never spoken your name to any of us. "Eriah Quintence." you had answered. It was a good, strong name. Had I been more optimistic, I would've hoped that not being on the list would've spared you but I'm wiser than that. Had I been able to speak, I would've interceded on your behalf. Even the Legionnaire wasn't convinced that you were supposed to be there. He asked his captain for instruction and to no one's surprise, you were consigned to the block. Looking back, I have to wonder why.

After all, they had me already. My men and I had no way to escape. If they had meant to prevent you from joining my cause, then their foresight is to be commended. We may never know why an innocent woman like yourself was doomed to die. Our eyes locked a fourth time and you gave me a small resigned smile. Like any true Nord, you would face death with dignity. My attention was then commanded by General Tullius who pretty much parroted how wrong I was for starting the war. That's when I heard it. The roar of something I didn't recognize nor wager a guess on what it was. It was deemed unimportant as the Priestess of Arkay was asked to give our final rites. One of my most loyal soldiers cuts her off as he marches to the block of his own will. I looked at you and saw you were impressed yet sad that one of my own chose to go to his death, sure that he would be honored in Sovngarde. You still bothered me. When the captain called you, another roar was heard. It was closer. Something didn't feel right. A roar when Tullius spoke of the war I started and a roar when you were called to the block? Was there a connection and what was it if it existed? I watched you go the the block. You were brave, Dragonborn. I could tell from the set of your jaw and how proudly you walked, even though you were understandable fearful and saddened that your life was out of your hands.

I prayed a silent prayer to the Divines to give you strength on your behalf. I'm sure Talos himself would've gladly done so. However, that's when things turned to chaos. As soon as the headsman went to take your head, we were greeted by a sight I shall not forget for the rest of my life. A black beast descended on Helgen and Shouted. I knew in that instant this beast was a dragon. I also noted he seemed interested in you, Dragonborn. At the time I didn't know why. Now that I know of your destiny, I wonder no longer. In the chaos that ensued, I cut my bonds and got the gag off. I lost track of you for a short time as I made for the keep. Ralof managed to keep you in his sight and he got you into the tower with us. He wondered if the legends of dragons were true. I knew legends didn't burn down villages and that dragons were now returning after an age. I saw you trying to keep it together. You couldn't stop pacing, your wrists still bound, trying to take in what was happening. I knew that I had to make up for you getting trapped with us so I took your arm as you went past me and ordered Ralof to get you out. I knew then as I do now that perhaps the gods were urging me to save you, that perhaps the reason you had eyes like mine and my mentors was that you had a destiny that even I couldn't begin fathom. I watched you ascend the tower and when the dragon broke through the wall just before you hit the landing, my heart did stop for a moment. Thankfully, Ralof managed to protect you and the last time I saw you, you were jumping out of the tower.

Ralof and I worked together to get survivors out of Helgen. We were separated relatively quickly as Ralof wanted to search for you and I soon found myself plunging through the underbrush in the Falkreath forests. I knew that I had to put as much distance between me and the Imperials as I could while the dragon provided the distraction. I had to survive so the rebellion could live on. As I passed into Whiterun Hold, I allowed myself to slow down and get my bearings. I knew that any survivors in my army would make their way to Windhelm so I resolved to return to Eastmarch as quickly as I could so I could bolster our defenses. The skills I learned in the Legion and my father allowed me to move cross-country without depending on the roads and I was left to wonder what had become of you. Did you make it out of Helgen? Was Ralof able to locate you again? I could only wonder if we would ever meet again in this life. I continued to walk with a sense of purpose. I knew that wondering wouldn't do me much good. Either you survived or you didn't. I didn't believe our paths would cross again if you had. So I threw my focus back on the war, determined to keep fighting.

Your eyes continued to bother me, Dragonborn. Now I know why.


	2. Eriah

_Author's Note: This drabble does NOT correspond to any particular one-shot and covers Eriah's thoughts on Ulfric Stormcloak prior to joining the Companions._

You had my attention from the beginning. Did you know that? The first time I laid eyes on you, I felt deep down that we were destined for something great. This is merely hindsight in truth because at the time, I was worried about what was happening to me on the road to Helgen. When our eyes met the first time, I felt like I had found a rival. No, that's not right. Something in my soul told me you were a challenger. I didn't know who you were at first. What challenge could you possibly be for me? Why would I feel that way? It was only through learning my destiny as Dovahkiin and further study into what made me what I am that I've come to this conclusion. The reason I saw you as a challenger, Ulfric, was because of the power you have. My soul is a dragon's. It's ageless in ways that mortal souls aren't. It's like I instinctively knew that you were potentially one who could go head to head with me in contests of power. It's like you awoke in me my desire to show how powerful I really was. Dragons are all about domination and you were a mortal that my soul felt the desire to knock down. I had known for a while that you were a practitioner of the Voice. Your duel with High King Torygg was known to me in the Empire. I adhere to the belief that you only used your Voice to knock him off balance before you slew him with a sword. Whether or not it was necessary is not for me to contemplate. Perhaps the knowledge you could use Words of Power was the reason my soul reacted as it did when I was able to put a face to your name.

Your eyes didn't bother me, though. I saw the strength of will you possessed as well as your defiance of fate. We were, all of us, going to die but you still carried a shard of hope that somehow, things would turn around and you'd live to fight another day. I never forgot the small kindnesses you paid me in Helgen. I was terrified of dying and saddened greatly that I would leave my parents in Cyrodiil alone. You gave me strength and courage, putting me more in touch with my Nordic roots than I ever did living in Cyrodiil. I still wonder to this day that if things had been different, if I had died before Alduin appeared...would my parents have returned to Skyrim to fight for you? You see, I'm convinced that you were not destined to die that day. I was because I could've easily have not been the one Akatosh chose. If I had died, would my parents seek vengeance for my death by taking it to the Empire? I'm not one to think about the what-ifs. As I continue to learn and internalize the Dragonborn Prophecy, I have come to understand that my destiny is immutable. No force in Nirn or Oblivion could've stopped my coming.

Skyrim is my home. I was born here but I lived my entire life to that point in Cyrodiil. I knew how the Empire suffered under the White-Gold Concordat. The older I grew, the more I began to feel like I had to return to my homeland. So I left. I, a simple jeweler's daughter, came home to Skyrim and that is when destiny began. You and I are bound together by this destiny, Ulfric. I hope you understand that. The war you began was the final event needed to summon Alduin from the rifts in Time where he had been cast adrift for an age by the Tongues. As you fought your war, the wheel turned on me, bringing me to Skyrim so I would be exactly where I needed to be when Alduin was set free. Do I resent you for having an indirect hand in bringing me here? I don't. In fact, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it weren't for you, if it weren't for everything that happened in the past several hundred years, I never would've had the life I have now. I cherish it. My destiny is a heavy burden but I bear it proudly. I came to serve you after realizing that being Dragonborn didn't mean I had to live outside the world. I was still free to follow my heart. I had never forgotten the kindness you showed me in Helgen, minor as it was. So I came to Windhelm to seek you out.

I have a confession to make. When I learned I was Dragonborn, I entertained the rather dark notion that once you and General Tullius caught wind of who I was, that you would both see me as a threat and would move to eliminate me. I know well that the Graybeards calling me by my true name was heard throughout the province. I'm not fool enough to assume you didn't hear it from your palace in Eastmarch. Why would I be a threat? Because I am stronger. I have inherent knowledge of the Thu'um and I can steal the souls of the dragons I slay. It's as you surmised once: I'm a dragon in the body of a woman. That alone makes me among the most dangerous beings in Tamriel, if not on the whole of Nirn. I suppose on some level, I approached you first in order to save my own skin. I had to prove I was on your side so I could continue my greater work of slaying my dragon kin.

You didn't trust me immediately. You knew I spoke the truth of being the Dragonborn when I demonstrated the first Word of Unrelenting Force and you were relieved on some level that I had approached you, not to take you down, but to stand with you in freeing Skyrim. But you didn't trust me and you were wise not to. At that time, I was still trying to get my soul under control. Being awoken to my destiny led to a lot of internal struggles. I didn't want to lose the identity I had as a Nord to the deeper identity I had as a dragon. You didn't trust me because I was another potential threat to your bid for the throne of High King. Though I harbored no desire for rulership of Skyrim the way Alduin did, being Dragonborn meant I was a wild card in the battle for Skyrim's soul. Dragons are about power and domination, as I said before. You didn't trust me and I thank you for the chance to earn it.

I wonder to this day when it was that I fell in love. The dossier I lifted from the Embassy when I infiltrated to see if the Thalmor had anything to do with the dragons' return gave me insight into your own past. The fact they had captured you during the Great War thirty years ago and tortured you so caused my soul to burn with righteous fury for the pain you suffered. That knowledge combined with the things I would learn about you while in your service soon led me to the inevitable conclusion. I fell in love with you, Ulfric, because you retained that same strength of spirit in spite of breaking under torture. I can only hope you know the fall of the White-Gold Tower wasn't your fault, that the Empire had fallen before you were broken, that the Thalmor hoped to destroy that fighting spirit to prevent you from being a problem later. Ralof says that I am the pinnacle to which all Nords should aspire because I'm Dragonborn. I disagree. You are that pinnacle. You've seen the horrors of war, you managed to remain strong in spite of the Thalmor's torture, you're everything a Nord should be.

I fell in love with you because of what you told Galmar the day I came to offer my warhammer in service to the cause. _"I fight for the men I've held in my arms, dying on foreign soil! I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breath. I fight for we few who did come home, only to find our country full of strangers wearing familiar faces. I fight for my people impoverished to pay the debts of an Empire too weak to rule them, yet brands them criminals for wanting to rule themselves! I fight so that all the fighting I've already done hasn't been for nothing! I fight... because I must."_ you said. Those words ignited my fighting spirit. It catalyzed my will to dominate my foes within the Empire. I know now that was the day I lost my heart. It took some time before I realized it but it was time well spent. I took your reason for fighting and made it my own. As I listen to the bards sing The Age of Oppression, I recall your words and I resolve to see such an age ended. However, my motivations for fighting don't end with the Nords. I fight for all who call Skyrim home. Altmer, Argonian, Bosmer, Breton, Dunmer, Imperial, Khajiit, Orsimer, Redguard. I know at least one individual from each race who makes their home here. I fight for them just as much as I fight for we Nords. It is my wish that you will come to see things the way I do. I don't follow you blindly nor do I ignore your faults. I simply choose to lead by example. If I could show you that I fight for us all, then you would surely come to agree.

I may never know why Akatosh chose me to carry his blood but I thank him daily for granting me this destiny. Through his machinations, I not only walk the same path as Talos did once, but I was allowed to meet you. I was allowed to lead the life I live. Our paths were destined to cross in Helgen and from that point on, I was truly free to follow my own path and I chose to walk it at your side as a soldier and a friend. I may never speak of my feelings for you but I'm content to know that perhaps you may to feel the same. If not, then the wheel of destiny will lead me to the one I was meant for. I can hope it will be you but I won't let that wish dominate my mind. I have people to help, dragons to slay, a World-Eater to stop, and a war to win in your name. Matters of the heart can wait.

I'm at your service, Ulfric Stormcloak, now and for always. Talos guide you and Akatosh preserve you.


	3. Miraak

_Author's Note: This drabble consists of Miraak's thoughts of Eriah Quintence and goes hand-in-hand with the Dragonborn Triad one-shots consisting of_ _ **Meeting of the First and the Last**_ _,_ _ **Final Clash of the First and the Last**_ _,_ _and_ _ **Memories Put to Rest**_ _._

I despise you. From the moment you first appeared before me in Apocrypha, I detested you with every fiber of my being. I knew you, Dragonborn. Your immortal dragon's soul reacted to mine in the only way it knew: with scorn and a desire to dominate. My soul reacted the same but that is not why I came to hate you so. No, it's because you held yourself in check by the chains of morality. Had you fully embraced your very state of being Dragonborn, you could've had all the power you could ever want. I hated you for daring to oppose me, for daring to believe you could've stopped my return. Instead, you chained yourself to your weakness as a mortal woman and to the gods. To be honest, Dragonborn, your first foray into Apocrypha was the first time I was made aware of your existence. Hermaeus Mora teased at there being another like myself and had spurred three of my cultists into seeking you out to kill you. When I felt your dragon soul, I had a revelation. I could use your soul to break free of Hermaeus Mora's servitude and be master of my own fate once again. So I set out to make you mine.

Foolish, lesser beings would misunderstand my meaning. They would look at you, a woman, and me, a man, and think that I desired much more than what I was truly after. They cannot fathom my reasoning. I desired only to kill you, take your soul, and escape the realm of Oblivion which had been my prison for an age. You being a woman meant nothing to me. I needed your soul, Dragonborn, because you were like me. You were unique among dragons and mortals alike just as I was. It was what made your soul special. The countless dragon souls you had absorbed would also gain me the power I needed to break free of the realm in Oblivion that had been my prison for countless centuries. I knew that drawing you back to Apocrypha would be unnecessary. You would come of your own will but I still had to make sure you played my game. So I baited you by stealing your kills, hoping to anger you enough to seek Hermaeus Mora out, and come to Apocrypha to face me. I take pride in knowing that Hermaeus Mora went above and beyond what I hoped for. He wanted the knowledge of the Skaal and used you to get it. I know of your black hatred for the Daedric Princes, Dragonborn. You begrudgingly worked for Mora in order to find me again.

I grew careless in my long imprisonment. I should've remembered that nothing happens in Apocrypha without him knowing. I should've known that we were both pawns in his game. How far as my hatred goes for him, it doesn't compare to the hatred I hold for you. You were merely a nuisance to me, despite being the Last Dragonborn. Our first meeting had given me much insight into your character. I knew the moment our eyes met that your heart was ruled by compassion of the accursed Divine Mara. It was made only clearer to me whenever Hermaeus Mora would appear before me to gloat about how he had you strung up like a puppet. He let slip, intentionally no doubt, that you learning I was Dragonborn as well had compromised your desire for revenge after what my cultists did to lure you to Solstheim. You let personal feelings get in the way. You began to see me as kin and it threatened to unravel my plot. I needed you angry and hateful. It would make you sloppy and easy to kill. However, I never dreamed that your irrational feelings of kinship would actually make you stronger.

When we fought on the summit of Apocrypha, I must admit I was pleased to see you hiding behind the Masque of Clavicus Vile. Hiding your face as you did was a sign to me that you were prepared for a fight to the death as a faceless foe. I admire you for being strong-willed. However, you disappoint me, Dragonborn. You didn't give it your all. Your desire for us to coexist caused you to hold back, hitting me hard enough to wound but not kill. It was by your hand that I took the souls of Kruziikrel, Relonikiv, and Sahrotaar so I could further punish you for your foolishness in feeling compassion for me. How I loath you for that compassion. You shame the name of Dovahkiin by denying the side of you that is Dovah. Your triumph over Alduin, however, was impressive indeed for a Dragonborn who had barely scratched her full potential. I tried to make you submit to me as I held you captive against me but you proved beyond any doubt that you truly possessed a dragon's soul. The idea of submission, whether as a woman or a dragon, caused your anger to boil over. That was just I wanted, for you get angry enough to forget your damnable compassion so I could at last take your life, claim your soul, and be free of my fickle master.

After I took Sahrotaar's soul, I mocked Akatosh for choosing you to be the Last Dragonborn. A mistake on my part because it caused you lash out at me so hard, I was caught by surprise. An impressive feat and it revealed to me another aspect of your character. You held Akatosh in high esteem, refusing to accept you were merely his plaything as he feigns compassion for we denizens of Mundus. It only made my disdain for you grow. However, I could no longer act because that is when Hermaeus Mora chose to step in. I knew I was finished before he stabbed me in the back. You were shocked and angered by this. I knew in my final moments that my soul would join with the myriad of souls you had absorbed thus far so I sought to punish you even further by making your absorption of my soul as painful as possible. I would make you pay for your insolence and weakness in due time. I was also possessed by a desire to really puzzle you out, to get to the bottom of your motivations.

So I started to haunt your dreams, driving you to Paarthurnax so you could be free of my lingering influence. When you finally opened your mind to the soul-plane, I was there to have my way with you. In that place, in the deepest reaches of your own immortal soul, you were powerless. I tormented you over past regrets, a love unanswered, and your conflicting emotions concerning me. I was able to dominate you there in ways I never would've been able to in life. You see, the soul-plane I drew you to in your meditation was of my own make and there I had the ability to take your power away. I may be a soul lost in the sea of souls you have stolen but I was aware of everything you had done. I knew you had taken my robes, mask, and weapons out of Apocrypha with you. I knew you chewed Hermaeus Mora out for what he did to me, for what he denied you. I knew you had defied him by swearing to never be his puppet again, such is your faith that when you die, Akatosh will allow you to go to Sovngarde. I knew you desired to save my soul from the Daedric Prince of Knowledge when your time came. You pity me despite your hatred of me for what I had done during the Age of Dragons and for what I intended for Solstheim upon my escape from Apocrypha.

I know you intimately now, Dragonborn, because I now reside within you. I made you swear an oath in the soul-plane to fight me again when you arrive in Sovngarde and I made it binding by marking you with that brand you now wear on your neck. Paarthurnax betrayed you by saying you jumped to the wrong conclusion about the words I branded you with. When I placed "hi los dii" upon your skin, I did claim you. I could've placed the brand anywhere but I chose your neck for the specific purpose of humiliating you and showing you are truly a powerless woman who chooses not to walk the path of conquest as I once did. Instead of striving for godhood, you seek to chain yourself to the Divines and use your gifts in ways they were not meant for. Paarthurnax lied to you to keep you from losing sight of your mortal nature as a woman who cares about the fates of others. The idea of being dominated by anyone never sat well with you. You're headstrong, stubborn, and so very easy to manipulate. I knew Hermaeus Mora could easily erase my brand but I know you well enough to know that you would never ask him for help. That is where your weakness truly shines, Dragonborn. You've unwittingly allowed me to hold power over you.

You are mine, Dragonborn. As long as you carry your regrets and conflicting feelings regarding me, as long as you carry my soul...you will always be mine. We now share an intimacy no mortal could dream of. Even as I fade to dormancy within the deep places of your soul, I will know about every little thing you come to regret. When we meet again in the next life, I will see to it that you don't hold back and give me the fight you should've given me in Apocrypha. Be prepared for that day, Dragonborn.


	4. Eriah II

_Author's Note: This drabble tells of Eriah's thoughts on the First Dragonborn, Miraak, after the Dragonborn Triad one-shots of **Meeting of the First and the Last** , **Final Clash of the First and the Last** , and **Memories Put To Rest**. _

Do you know how much I hate you, Miraak? When I first came to Solstheim, I didn't know what I would find. All I had to go on was the note found on the body of one of your cultists. I didn't take kindly to being attacked in my own city. Your cultists threatened Windhelm, something I cannot forgive. After I read that they were searching for me, I immediately went before Ulfric Stormcloak to suspend my service in the war to hunt them down. He understood that they couldn't wait. He let me go. So I boarded the _Northern Maiden_ and sailed to Solsthiem, my first visit to a land controlled by the Dunmer homeland of Morrowind. I found Solsthiem to be a sad affair. The eruption of Red Mountain in 4E 5 had caused ash to fall on the southern part of the island but as I traveled around the island, I was glad to see most of it was untouched. It has a wild beauty about it that reminds me of Skyrim, made all the more natural by the fact that Skyrim used to control the island before the High King gave it to Dunmer refugees in 4E 16. I immediately went to work hunting you down.

I admit that I started growing curious about you, Miraak. It started when I saw your name in the note and grew stronger when I met with the Skaal. They told your legends, how you were a Dragon Priest who rebelled against your overlords, and how you were Dragonborn. That was news to me but it also made sense in the context of the note I had lifted. The cultists sent to kill me had called me a false Dragonborn. I had wondered that part meant. Now I know why. I made an ally and friend in Frea when I came across your temple and we journeyed in together to get to the bottom of the goings-on in Solsthiem. People disappearing, only turn up at the All-Maker Stones, your corrupting influence being spread across the island. Your temple was a marvel. The architecture was ancient but still contained the same amount of foreboding majesty it surely had in your time. At that time, I wasn't sure I believed the legends that Hermaeus Mora, of all Daedric Princes, had saved you from the dragons and the one they call Vahlok the Jailer. I assumed that the events happening on this Morrowind island had something to do with someone fanatically invested in your life and times. I had seen such things before when a man in Dawnstar sought Mehrunes Dagon's Razor for his Mythic Dawn museum. Like many folk, I also hold a special hatred for that group who triggered the Oblivion Crisis but I have to grudgingly thank them because the Crisis was part of my prophecy, a sign my coming was at hand.

When Frea and I came upon the Black Book deep within the temple, I felt drawn to it. I had to see what it was about. When I opened it and the tentacles came out, I only had time to curse Hermaeus Mora for luring me into a trap before my mind was sent into his little pocket of Oblivion. I hate him the most, you know. I had come across the Daedric Prince before when I sought the Elder Scroll in my quest to destroy Alduin. He strung me along and rewarded me with his Oghma Infinium tome for being a good little puppet. I had hoped to never cross his path again but it seems Fate likes to yank my chain. I should've known the Black Book was one of his accursed artifacts. I felt my consciousness being pulled into Apocrypha and when I opened my eyes, there you were. A robed figure speaking to the monsters I later learned were Daedra known as Seekers. You were surprised by my sudden appearance and you hit me with lightning, bringing me to my knees. That's when my soul reacted. It knew you. It felt you. That was the moment I learned that the legends were true, that you were one of my kind. Dragonborn. You were just as surprised to learn I was like you. I was distracted by a number of things that time. The revelations you were real, you were Dragonborn, and the fact that I found myself in Mora's clutches again caused my soul to react with anger.

You somehow knew I had felled Alduin. You then proceeded to act as if he wasn't a big deal and you claimed you could've stopped him yourself. That angered me. Alduin was a worthy opponent and he wasn't easy for me to take down. It took me and three others to defeat him in Sovngarde. Who are you to trivialize the danger he posed? It angered me that you saw me as beneath you, despite knowing I was like you. I'm used to enemies not taking me seriously. You, on the other hand, really should have. I knew then I had to be the one to stop you. So when you sent me back, I vowed in my heart to get stronger so I could face you. You had the jump on me that time, Miraak. Don't think that because you managed to force me to my knees that you were stronger. Even then, I knew that my only chance at returning to Apocrypha was through Hermaeus Mora. I wracked my brain for Akatosh-knows-how-long for any way to get that eyeball in the sky to work for me instead of the other way around. Alas, it was for naught. Storn knew, as I did, the only way I was going to get into Apocrypha was if we gave Hermaeus Mora what he wanted: the knowledge of the Skaal.

As I traversed Apocrypha trying to find you, the more I came to realize this was precisely what that accursed Daedra wanted. He knew of the Dragonborn Prophecy. He knew I was fated to be born and bring an end to Alduin. I believe he saved you long ago just so I would find my way to his realm to face you. He wanted us to fight. We would bookend each other quite well, the First and the Last in a battle fit for songs and tales. This is why my hatred of Hermaeus Mora outstrips my hatred for you. This is why I started losing my drive to fight you. I hate being used but I'm constantly powerless from preventing the Daedric Princes from using me as their pawns. Don't get me wrong. Contrary to what you believe, Miraak, I did fight you with everything I was. I wasn't about to set you loose from Apocrypha and I fought like Oblivion to keep you from killing me and taking my soul. However, it is true that I had conflicting feelings about it. For the longest time, between learning I was Dragonborn to when I learned of your existence, it hadn't bothered me that I was the only one. But then you appear in my life and I was confronted with a feeling I hadn't felt before in that regard. Loneliness. Ulfric and the Greybeards can use the Thu'um as I can but they're not of my kind...of _our_ kind. On some level, I didn't want to lose you. You were the only one I've known who knew what it was like to be me. We were equals. For this feeling of loss I carry now, I despise you.

Our battle was an intense one. You frustrated me just as surely as I frustrated you. Every time I had you on the ropes, you would use Become Ethereal and Whirlwind Sprint to get away from me. You'd then steal the souls of your dragon thralls to undo all the damage I had inflicted. You even put me in a choke hold in an attempt to make me submit to you. I know now that I fell into your trap. By playing on my distaste for being controlled, you managed to make me fight with the intent of destroying you. I don't know what your aim was. You then had the gall to insult Akatosh for choosing me which told me that you still held me in low regard despite being your equal. You mocked me for my sentiments concerning you. You threw my internal conflict in my face. I was ready to finish you off right then but alas, _he_ had to interfere. Hermaeus Mora took you from me. He dealt the final blow, which was mine by right. The pain of absorbing your soul was damnable to say the least, bringing me to my knees. Whether it was your soul alone or if it was also because of the number of souls you had stolen from me that caused that unholy pain, I'll never know. I swore to him that I would keep your soul safe from him when my time to die came. I wasn't about to let him have you. I honestly don't know why I decided to take your effects with me out of Apocrypha. Your mask, your robes, your weapons...I didn't want to leave anything of you behind.

Things were quiet for a time after I returned to Skyrim. I continued in my service to Ulfric and brought the Empire's control of the province to an end. It wasn't until I first joined the Companions that you started haunting me in my dreams. It got to the point where I had to return to High Hrothgar to see if Paarthurnax could help me. He could only suggest meditation, hinting that perhaps I could meet you again in something known as the soul-plane, a place within my own soul where the souls of the dragons I killed resided. You would be there because your soul was a dragon's. So I did just that. I started to meditate and allowed myself to disconnect from the world. Things got strange for me as I fell within myself. I heard your voice, felt your hands ghosting across my skin, ending when I felt your body pressed against mine. Our encounter was harsh. It was as if you held more power over me there than you ever did in life. You tormented me over my regrets over my taking Whiterun for the Stormcloaks, the lives I had taken when Molag Bal trapped me in Markarth, and my regrets concerning you. Then you had the gall to bring up my feelings for Ulfric Stormcloak, claiming my decision to never let him know was my greatest regret. That angered me. I had made that decision because I knew it would've made no difference. Even if he had known he had my love, it wouldn't have changed the fact that he felt nothing for me in kind. I made that decision to spare myself from having him telling me what I already know with his own lips.

I hate you all the more for that, Miraak. You played with my heart and made me drop my guard. You managed to dominate me and forced me to confront the fact that you knew everything I felt or thought. I could no longer hide anything from you. As I was pinned beneath you, you mocked me for my heart of compassion, claiming it made me weak. Maybe it did. I hate you but I felt compassion for you all the same. I don't claim to fully understand why so I can only assume that Mara doesn't want me to lose my compassionate side. That hasn't stopped me from hating Hermaeus Mora even more than I hate you. I swore to you what I swore to him: that he will never get his hands on your soul if I have anything to say about it. That's when you spoke of your own disappointment in me. You said I didn't give it my all in Apocrypha. That's your opinion. Then you had me swear an oath that if we were allowed to battle without Daedric interference, I would give you a better fight.

That's when you bit me. It came as complete surprise. One moment you were before me, making me swear that oath and the next, you had me flush against your body and your lips were upon my neck. The pain of your teeth biting me wasn't anything compared to the various wounds I had gotten on my various journeys. I can barely remember my fingers sinking into your robes nor can I fully remember when you let me go. I could hear Paarthurnax's voice cut through the haze and he reminded me that I was under the power of no one but myself. Before I retreated from the soul-plane, I asked what you had done. As you held me in your arms and kept your teeth sunk in my skin, it felt as if something was being burned into my neck. You merely bade me to ask my friend and mentor before vanishing from my sight.

The thing I hate you most for was the brand you left. Paarthurnax says the words you chose didn't mean what I thought they did. I disagree. How is one supposed to interpret it when the Dovahzul you marked me with translates to "You are mine" in Tamrielic? Perhaps my mentor had a point in saying that there are many ways to interpret what you meant. Right now, I honestly don't care. I went into the deepest reaches of my soul to find you and make you stop haunting me. So far, you've kept your own word by going dormant within me. It has been a sweet relief being able to sleep without you whispering in my ear.

We will meet again, Miraak, when I finally return to Sovngarde at the end of my life. I'll show you once and for all that I am better than you and Hermaeus Mora will not interfere.


	5. Farkas

_Author's Note: This drabble details what Farkas thought when he first saw Eriah back when she appeared in Whiterun to report Alduin's attack on Helgen to Balgruuf. It will extend to the_ ** _Dustman's Cairn_** _one-shot._

That day was just like any other. Aela, Vilkas, and I were called out to the Pelagia Farm to take down a giant which was trying to sack it. I was distracted by your sudden appearance, using a sword to help cut it down. As Aela spoke with you and extended an invitation to the Companions after remarking about your fighting skills, I studied you. You were a woman my age, wearing Stormcloak armor and yet something told me you weren't actually one yourself. I could smell the scent of fire and brimstone on you and I had to wonder where you had come from. While you showed valor in the fight with the giant, I could sense you seemed out of your depth. You didn't seem to know where you were but you also moved with a sense of purpose that a true warrior exudes. My wolf spirit reacted to you differently than it does anyone else. To it, humans are prey to be hunted but you...you were different.

My beastblood reacted to you as if you were a threat unlike any other thing I've fought in my history as a Companion. It simultaneously wanted to lash out in defense of itself and cower in fright. I have to wonder if Aela and Vilkas felt it, too, or if it was just me. I'm considered slow by others but I think I'm probably the only one who noticed there was something...off about you. I wasn't given much time to wonder because you were soon off to Whiterun to report something to Jarl Balgruuf. I didn't think I'd see you again. I was wrong. Back in Jorrvaskr, I sat down with Vilkas to talk about you and what I felt. As I suspected, he hadn't sensed anything out of the ordinary about you. You were just an ordinary human. Then my idiot brother had the nerve to tell me to lay off the mead because it was throwing my wolf senses off. I punched him in the face for that and, like all brothers do from time to time, we got into a brawl. I knew what I sensed and I knew I was right to suspect there was more to you than meets the eye. But without a chance to track you down and talk to you, all I had to go on were my suspicions.

It certainly didn't take long for things to get strange in Whiterun. After you had done your business in Dragonsreach, I had the good fortune to see you heading for the city gates. Again, you exuded that sense of purpose that attracted my attention in the first place. My wolf spirit reacted with caution instead of fear this time and I was compelled to tail you at least up to the gate. To this day, I don't have any idea why I was so interested. You were a nobody who appeared out of nowhere and got involved in Companion business. I didn't even know your name. Still, I followed you like a curious puppy. I watched as you traded that old Stormcloak armor for a set of steel armor before you left the city. That time, I resisted the urge to follow you further. After a few hours, you were back again, carrying something in your arms. A strange stone. I could smell the scent of decay on you and I figured you had gone to Bleak Falls Barrow, the closest barrow to Whiterun based on the amount of time that had passed. I couldn't imagine why you had gone to that gods-forsaken place.

That's when I heard a dragon was attacking the Watchtower. Kodlak had us Companions hang back and he stood with me as you ran past Jorrvaskr with the city guard. You certainly seemed invested in the city for a stranger who only been here for less than a day. Kodlak said that we would join the fight if we were asked and he left me to my own thoughts. I was growing restless when suddenly, my wolf senses picked up a shift on the wind and then a shout coming from High Hrothgar shook the place. It didn't take long for you to reappear on the path to Dragonsreach nor did it take long for you to be on your way out again, this time with a sense of urgency that hadn't been there before. You moved as if you were compelled to go somewhere. At the time, I didn't imagine you were heading to High Hrothgar. As you were heading past Jorrvaskr, that's when you stopped and looked at me. I won't lie. I wasn't exactly being subtle in the fact I had been watching your comings and goings all day. However, something told me you were only now just noticing I was there. You tilted your head at me, seemingly curious about what I was doing. I remained still as a statue and my wolf spirit reacted again, this time with the intent to remove the threat it was perceiving. I could feel the slight rise of power that preceded transformation but I was able to suppress the feeling before I blew my secret to everyone. It's not easy being a werewolf.

The moment was broken when you seemed to remember you were going somewhere. You broke eye contact and headed off. I was left standing there wondering what in Oblivion had just happened between us. Without us saying a word to each other, we somehow managed to forge a connection. After you disappeared from sight, it took a little while before my beastblood finally started to act normal...well, as normal as it usually was. I was left frustrated at the strange day I was having. I asked Vilkas if he wanted to hunt and he agreed, saying a request had come in asking us to handle some highwaymen causing problems on the other side of the hold. I needed to vent somehow. What better way to do that then to kill some lowlifes? As we left the city, I could feel my wolf spirit acting up again. It wanted out and it wanted to massacre. I knew it had to do with you. I couldn't shake the notion that you were something else. Something that looked human had yet wasn't human. You smelled human, at least. I just couldn't put my finger on what was it that made you not human.

As the weeks passed, I started spending less and less time standing outside waiting for you to show yourself again. You eventually faded to the back of my mind as if you were an afterthought. I mostly heard rumors that the Dragonborn had come. I knew the legends but didn't connect the dots that you and the Dragonborn were one and the same. I was away when the Battle For Whiterun was fought but when I came back, I knew you had been here. I could smell you on the wind. You had just left and my nose told me you were heading to Windhelm. I could guess you were in with the Stormcloaks since your scent was fresh. I headed into the city to see what the damage was. Thankfully, Jorrvaskr was untouched. Kodlak filled me on what was going on. Balgruuf has been displaced as Jarl and replaced by Vignar Grey-Mane. Whiterun would recover and was now under Stormcloak control. He also told me he had spotted you within the ranks. That confirmed my suspicions.

The Companions just kept on operating as we always had. After the war was won by the Stormcloaks, I was surprised to see you walk into Jorrvaskr a few weeks later. You were wearing your Blades armor and a strange helmet that hid your face. I knew it was you because I could smell you. You pulled it off and that's when I got my first real good look at you. I suddenly felt shy. You were...let's just say I've seen plenty of pretty women in my day. You approached Aela about joining the Companions and you were directed to old man Kodlak. I decided to head down my self. I need to kick back for a bit. I was reading when Aela called for me. I found you with her and she told me to show you to the whelps' room, saying you were now one of us. As we walked, I finally worked up the nerve to ask you your name. You told me it was Eriah Quintence. That's when I remembered the Dragonborn rumors. They said it was a woman by that name. I was surprised but I decided to let you tell us that you were the Dragonborn on your own time. After I showed you where you would be sleeping, I left you to get comfortable.

I went outside to the training yard where I found Vilkas in a bad mood. He vented that Kodlak had let you in, given the issues we were having at the time. I don't think my brother liked you at first. He's like that with anyone new. I spoke of my suspicions about you. I knew you had to be the Dragonborn because it explained why my wolf spirit had reacted the way it had months ago when I first saw you. Vilkas didn't care but that didn't matter to me. I was excited that the Dragonborn had joined the Companions. As you settled into our way of life, I went out of my way to make you feel welcome. I guess that's how our friendship started, Eriah. As I got to know you, I became less starstruck that you were Dragonborn and admired you more for your skill in battle. I learned a lot about you. You told me you were born in Skyrim but had spent most of your life in Cyrodiil. You told me everything that had happened to you between when you came to Skyrim and joining our family. I'm fortunate our friendship became as tight as it did. I trusted you to watch my back as much as you trusted me to watch yours. Vilkas started warming up to you as well as you proved yourself. I was personally pleased at how well you settled into life here. You and Athis got on especially well. You were always poking fun at each other and even your serious arguments were hilarious.

The day I was forced to reveal I was a werewolf to you was a day that really tested your trust in me. You came to me, telling me that Skjor asked us both to go to Dustman's Cairn to get the shard of Wuuthrad reportedly buried there. I figured it was going to be your trial to join the Companions more fully so I was expected to watch how you did. We set off together and reached the Cairn by late afternoon. I noticed as we traveled across the plains that your mind seemed to be elsewhere. That wasn't good. I needed you alert. The Cairn was likely full of draugr and if you weren't paying attention, you could get hurt or worse. I recalled that you had been gone for the last week to High Hrothgar. Something about being haunted, voices in your head, and such. I wondered if you were thinking about that trip. I decided to save it for later because we reached the barrow then and I had you take the lead. Before we entered, you told me you were glad I was there to watch your back, how you were usually by yourself when you were off doing Dragonborn business. That made me feel slightly warm under the collar.

When we entered the Cairn, I saw that something was wrong. Signs that others had been digging here were everywhere. I immediately suspected the Silver Hand. They knew the Circle were werewolves and would stop at nothing to kill us. That complicated things because I wanted to protect you from the knowledge I was a werewolf. I didn't want you to hate me or leave the Companions over it. I prayed that if the Silver Hand had been here, they weren't any longer and they didn't make off with the shard. Turns out our luck was bad. We reached that one room and you flipped the lever to open the gate, trapping yourself. Despite my misgivings, I found it rather funny that you managed to trap yourself accidentally. It helped humanize you even further. I honestly don't know what I was thinking but I reached through the bars to pet your head, to let you know that it was fine and I would get you out.

That's when the Silver Hand showed themselves. It was quite a bind. You were stuck behind a gate with a stuck lever and I was surrounded by the Circle's oldest enemies. I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to save us both. I gave into the beastblood and tore through those thugs like a knife through butter. When I was done, I turned to see you cowering behind the gate. I was compelled to let you know I wasn't a threat to you. My wolf spirit had learned to regard you as a pack mate, despite the face you weren't like me. I could smell your fear and far from wanting to kill you, I wanted to show you that you were safe with me. I reached through the bars, ignoring the fact you flinched hard, and brushed your hair with my claws. That surprised you and you looked at me. You said my name and I growled, apologizing in the only way I could at the time. I headed for the opened gate when I felt the beastblood fade and I transformed back just in time. I pulled my armor on and flipped the lever there. I heard the gate trapping you open and I came back. You seemed more shocked now than afraid. I explained everything about the Circle being werewolves and what the Silver Hand's aim was.

I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was that you accepted the truth about me so readily, Eriah. Our mission in the Cairn was only successful because you trusted me. In the room with that strange Word Wall and the shard of Wuuthrad, I finally got to see what being Dragonborn was all about. You fought those draugr like they were nothing, using your Voice to knock them off balance as we worked together to take them out. Seeing you stand before the Wall to "get the Word" as you said it, was something to see. I couldn't exactly see how it worked, which I figured was something only you could, but I could tell that you grew serene as you gained new knowledge. I knew then that you were truly strong, worthy of the Circle if it ever came to it. I even said as much when we returned to Jorrvaskr and went through the initiation. I meant every word, Eriah. You truly embodied the spirit of the Companions. I bet even Ysgramor himself would've been proud to call you sister. I know I was.


	6. Akatosh

_Author's Note: A drabble where Akatosh speaks of his involvement in Eriah's very destiny as the Last Dragonborn. This more or less covers most of the one-shots I've written with special mention going to the_ _ **Of Gods, Dragons, and Sovngarde**_ _one-shot. I don't think the overall lore even has him involved in the Last Dragonborn's prophecy as far as handing it down goes but he has grown to be one of my favorite Divines and I liked the idea that he was more involved than the lore would have you think._

You often questioned why I chose you. Why I, Akatosh, chose you specifically to carry my blood and shoulder the destiny I laid out to the Akaviri. The answer is simple yet complex all the same. I am the Dragon God of Time. I see all and know all that happens in my sphere. Time is mine to write. I saw your birth and your many possible futures, just as I see all futures presented to any single mortal. I chose you because Mara and Talos both deemed you the most suitable. They knew, as I did, that the Last Dragonborn should be a mortal of great caliber such as Martin Septim before you. Most importantly, it had to be a mortal who would live during the period of time that Alduin would reappear. I was not surprised by his appearance in my sphere. I was watching as he was cast into the currents of time by the Elder Scroll and while I had all the time in all the realms of existence, I knew I should work quickly on crafting the ideal mortal to teach him a lesson. I looked over each and every mortal that would be around during the decades leading up to his return to Tamriel. I was drawn to you because many of your possible futures showed you as a mortal of caliber.

It was decided. We went to the point of time before your birth. Mara rained blessings of compassion onto a newborn dragon soul I created for this purpose to keep you on a path of goodness while Talos used the fires of Nordic pride to temper a warrior's sense of duty and willingness to do the right thing no matter how hard it would prove. I then gave you my blood and the great potential needed to become Dragonborn. We three Divines who had the most impact on your soul then set it free to be born into Nirn so you would follow whatever path you deemed best while subtly following the Dragonborn Prophecy.

My fellow Divines had their hand in nurturing you, make no mistake. Some more than others. Talos subtly guided you to count him among my fellow Aedra and I. He nurtured your combat abilities as your mother taught you. Mara taught you, through others, that compassion wins allies and helps you make the best possible decisions. Kynareth placed the seed of travel within you that would lead you back to Skyrim at the appointed time so you would be in the position to witness Alduin's return. Arkay was the one who molded the qualities Mara, Talos, and I made into the fabric of your soul and led it to its mortal shell. Julianos blessed you with intellect as he does with all mortals, giving you no special favor just because you were my chosen. Same goes for Dibella who gave you a unique beauty that would shine best when you were showing love and care to others. She otherwise had no real investment in you because you were created with a particular destiny and because Mara dissuaded her from granting you traits that could distract from the real threat Alduin presented. Zenithar gave you a talent for smithing, which would help you as you grew into a warrior, and a desire for honest work. I suspect that little nugget is what kept you from falling into the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood, even though countless futures showed you as such a thief or assassin. Stendarr granted you a sense of mercy to re-enforce Mara's gift of compassion.

You were not infallible, my child. You were merely mortal and thus had vices, some of which came as a direct result of the blessings we Divines gave you. Your compassionate soul often saddled you with numerous regrets, for example. You were also incredibly stubborn. Many of your hardships could've been avoided if you hadn't been so. Then there's your hatred of the Daedric Princes to consider. Nothing in your history has given any indication as to how, when, and why you started hating them. Mehrunes Dagon is understandable. He caused one of the signs heralding your coming. However, this one truth remains. The Daedra are like the Aedra in the fact we are above mortal concepts of good and evil. It is you mortals who deem us one or the other. Perhaps the dragon blood flows stronger in you than even I realized. Dragons are dominance-incarnate, yielding only to the strongest. Alduin alone is proof of that. Many of my children yielded to him because he was strongest. You submitted to others' authority when you chose to and only for as long as you would let them hold that power over you.

I am a passive god. All I do is watch. I stepped in when I did during the Oblivion Crisis because Mehrunes Dagon would've ruined everything if he wasn't stopped. Since then, I have maintained my usual state of being, one of passivity and as the ever watchful guardian of Time. I watched you closely throughout your childhood into adulthood. I watched as you grew up in Cyrodiil after having moved from Skyrim as an infant. I watched as you traveled back to your homeland after thirty summers had passed. I watched as the countdown to the final sign of your awakening was at hand. The civil war broke out in Skyrim, heralding the return of the World-Eater. I watched as Alduin was thrown back into Mundus mere hours after your capture by the Imperials. I watched as he easily defended himself against Paarthurnax and watched as the pull of destiny led him to Helgen where he would cross paths with his doom. From there, it was merely a waiting game. I would be watching all the pieces in this divine game play their parts in punishing Alduin for his arrogance. You did remarkably well, my child, in putting him down. You willingly followed him to Sovngarde and defeated him. That victory allowed me to step in and take his soul, erasing him from the physical plane and reforming him in my sphere where he will wait until the end of Nirn comes. Only then will I set him loose to fulfill the destiny he was given. He was always meant to destroy the world. He was not meant to rule it.

I suppose the Thalmor are responsible for stoking your fires of rebellion. The elves believed they had the right to dictate what men could believe in and sought to remove Talos from the Divines by force. They do not realize they don't have the power to do that. You were quiet while living in Cyrodiil but once you awoke to your destiny, you took to it like a horker to water. You tried your hardest not to be made a pawn to anyone, holding to your truth that you are master of your own fate. You've failed many times as you were made a plaything of many Princes but even they know that whether or not you serve them is your choice. Hermaeus Mora was, admittedly, ecstatic that you had come into existence. He had been planning your battle with Miraak for as long as Miraak was imprisoned in Apocrypha. If anything, your hatred of him is more than justified. He's the Prince of Knowledge and Fate. He knew your creation was inevitable. He sees and knows all just as I do. He tried harder than most to make you his puppet but you maintained your stance that you are no Daedra servant.

Speaking of Miraak, you crossing paths with him was known to me as it was present in many of your futures. The ties that bind you two were strongest in all the futures in which you were Dragonborn. I will admit to being quite curious about how it would go. I watched as you traversed Solstheim looking for answers and I watched as you were pulled into Apocrypha. I knew the instant your heart twisted when you learned more about your foe, the First of my blood. I watched you struggle over him. You're fiercely loyal to many you call friends and whether you knew it or not, you grew loyal to Miraak himself deep down in your soul. He was aptly named indeed. While you had no issue in fighting him, you felt conflicted all the same because you and he were two of a kind. Not since the days of the Septim Dynasty would two Dragonborn exist at the same time. Miraak's time had stopped when he was pulled into Apocrypha, allowing him to live millennia after the Dragon War was fought. Hermaeus Mora truly is a fickle master of fate. He has yet to say so but I know full well he jealously played you both for his own amusement. He took pleasure in manipulating you, my child, into ending the life of his most ancient servant.

This is why I appeared before you in Sovngarde when your mortal life came to an end, coming to you through my dragon avatar knowing you would respond better. Such was your bond to Paarthurnax, Odahviing, and Durnehviir. You had performed admirably in your lifetime of service to me. I wished to alleviate you of your heavy burden which consisted of your most deep-rooted regrets and my children's souls. I wished to reward you for your willingness to set aside your independent streak in favor of following the destiny I created you for, knowing it wasn't one you chose for yourself. I am proud of you, my child. You showed no fear when I pulled you out of Sovngarde into a physical manifestation of my sphere. You were reunited with Alduin who knew what I was planning and who knew he was powerless to do anything about his own fate. Always the rebellious one, he was. He did what I asked him to do by using Soul Separation to relieve you of my children's souls but he was always defiant. He withdrew Miraak's soul and tried to eat him. I put him back in his place because it is as I said. The souls of the Dragonborn are indeed mine to claim, which is why many a Dragonborn has made their way to Sovngarde after death

I must confess that I was surprised that you would've willingly have taken Miraak's place as Hermaeus Mora's servant if it meant saving Miraak, a mortal who did nothing to deserve your compassionate pleas of mercy. Mara's blessings were among your strongest traits so perhaps I should not be as surprised as it was. I knew Mora would take issue with my interfering in his right to the souls of his servants. You had earned your right to enter Shor's Hall after death when you defeated Alduin so that trumped Mora's claim on your soul. Ownership of Miraak's soul was more debatable. Your steadfast refusal to allow the Daedric Prince to take your fellow Dragonborn back, opting instead to take his place, moved me. Martin Septim moved me with his acceptance of his own fate and allowed me to set foot in the mortal plane to do battle with Dagon. While his fate was immutable, due to it heralding your coming, I was still impressed with his quiet obedience to Fate's design. You possessed the same spirit and I was moved to allow you both back into Sovngarde. Shor was displeased because Miraak had done nothing earn to his right to Sovngarde. I needed only to tell him it was my last gift to you, my child. Shor didn't like it but he accepted that the Last Dragonborn had more than earned this favor from me.

Here I stand in my sphere. I watch the wheel of Time turn as passively as I have always done. Alduin remains in the prison I took you to, waiting and plotting as he does. He still desires to rule Nirn but he has also decided to make good on his own destiny first. Nirn will fall to the World-Eater. What comes after is yet to be seen. The world will either be remade with Alduin making good on his promise to be a ruler-god or he will be denied that role once more. Time alone will tell. As for you, may your afterlife in Shor's Hall be blessed.


	7. Ulfric II

_Author's Note: This drabble takes place after_ _ **The Parting of Ways**_ _and makes references to_ _ **Torment and Reassurance**_ _._

The war is won and Skyrim is free. It's thanks to you, Dragonborn, that my ambition has been realized at last. Now, the Moot can meet and make my ascension to High King official. I will need your support there. The Jarls I put in charge of the conquered Holds will doubtless have things to discuss along with the election but you will balance things out as a neutral party to the proceedings. You've proven yourself to be more than equal to the task. Aside from Galmar, I can think of no other that I want to stand at my side as Skyrim enters a new period of history. Once the Moot has named me High King, we can begin planning in earnest for the war we all know is coming once the Aldmeri Dominion learns of our victory here and decides to bring their wrath down on the world of men.

I was wise to share some foresight with you on the upcoming Moot. I was serious when I said that people will start pressuring me to ask your hand in marriage. You said that they would have to get used to disappointment as lightheartedly as if speaking of a good harvest. If you meant to fool me, Dragonborn, you failed. I know your heart better than you realize. One doesn't get to be my age without picking up on the nuances of other people. What you've spent months hiding was known to me as far back as when you were given to me by a werewolf, of all monsters, to take care of when you fell ill. Yes, I know of your feelings for me, Dragonborn. The fact your nightmares involved me could easily be interpreted as fear for the life of a friend but it was the way you spoke while in your dreams that revealed to me the full extent of your feelings. I had a underlying notion that your interest in me was in play for a long time but that day you stopped me from tossing that damned dossier into the fire was the day I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt. I chose to keep my silence because of my respect for your destiny. You may not think so but you stand above me as the most important person in Skyrim, if not the whole of Tamriel. You stand above us all. Even if I felt the same for you as you do for me, the truth remains that I'm unworthy of such a woman as you.

So I played the ignorant man to make life easier on both of us. I'm not the man for you and I know you know it deep down. So when the nobility put their plot to see us wed in motion, I will fight to keep us as we are. A marriage between us would be loveless on my end and one-sided on yours. I'm not so cruel that I would deny you the marriage you desire, one of love. One without political entanglements. I'm not completely opposed to the idea because it truthfully would be ideal for the good of Skyrim. But I will go against expectations on your behalf because you've done much for me and I owe you too much. He's out there somewhere, Dragonborn. The man you were meant to be with is out there. Maybe it's that Companion you speak so fondly of. Maybe it's someone you've yet to meet. My only wish is that you find the strength to throw off the chains that you've willingly used to bind yourself to me. It is but a shadow that you love. It's the idea of me that you find yourself longing for. All the same, I'm grateful that you've chosen the wiser path. By remaining silent on your heart all this time shows how wise you are for your years. You're young and insightful but your soul is likely much older because it's the soul of a dragon. You understand the stakes of being involved with me beyond the camaraderie and friendship we cultivated over time so you wisely chose to maintain your own silence.

You're a dear friend me, Dragonborn. Anything you need of me is yours. I'm honored to have known you, to call you friend, and to have you on my side. If you had decided to join the Legion, things would've turned out differently. I believe with all I am that if we had been on opposing sides, using our Thu'um on each other, there's no way I could've won. I only got as far as Unrelenting Force with the Greybeards before I left to join the war effort thirty years ago. You have access to numerous Shouts that I don't have a prayer of matching with just Unrelenting Force alone. I thank the Divines each day you chose my side. I will gladly help you keep your secret if it brings you peace and keeps you focused on your goals outside of your service to me. You've never been one for distraction. I have few worries when it comes to you. Good luck on this journey you are on, Dragonborn. Windhelm is always open to you.


	8. Farkas II

_Author's Note: This drabble talks about when Farkas came to realize he was in love with Eriah. It touches on the_ _ **Admittance**_ _and_ _ **Decision Made**_ _one-shots._

I sometimes think about when I first realized I was in love with you. As we got to know each other and worked various jobs together, I noticed the little things. The way you smiled at me, the way my heart would skip when I'd see you come into Jorrvaskr, how you usually sought me out when you got new assignments. All that started to matter to me. I would notice how disappointed I'd get when you went off with someone else. Hell, I got jealous several times when you teamed up with Vilkas. Still, when you admitted to me your feelings for Ulfric Stormcloak...that's when I realized how I really felt. I could stand losing you to my brother but not to Stormcloak. I never said anything because I wasn't sure how you'd react. I was afraid you didn't feel the same. I didn't want to come off as stupid, even though you drove me crazy.

So I just kept our dynamic the same. As time went on, I found I couldn't keep this to myself. So I confided in Vilkas who told me point-blank that I should go for broke and just tell you. I decided to take his advice and tried to find the right moment. I thought the job we were sent on to take care of a problem in Eastmarch would've given me that. Instead, we walked into an ambush by the Silver Hand. We held up well against them, especially when I gave into the beastblood. I knew I had to protect you at all costs. It amounted to nothing when you were shot. Never before had fear clouded my mind as much as it did then. I don't know, Eriah. When you went down, my mind went blank and I tore them all apart. When it was over, I knew in my wild mind I had to do something and fast. That arrow was coated in something and I knew this because you never got up after the hit. So I carried you, gently as I could, to the road and walked towards Windhelm. I knew I didn't have the means to care for your wound and waiting around for the beast blood to fade was only going to worsen your condition.

I did all this for you, Eriah. I knew in that moment that what I confided to Vilkas was true. It helped me realized just how much I was in love with you. It killed me to leave you with Stormcloak but circumstances demanded I do so. After I made my escape and reverted back, I knew what I had to do. I wanted to marry you so I abandoned the mission for the time being. Those bandits weren't going anywhere. I made my way to Riften to talk to that priest at the Temple of Mara. He sold me an amulet and then I returned to Eastmarch to take care of the job. I stopped in at Windhelm to inquire after you but I was told you had gone already. I figured you had recovered and were making your way back to Whiterun so I followed in your footsteps home.

When I got back, I made a beeline for Jorrvaskr after dropping your Masque off with Lydia. There you were, sitting on the Skyforge looking out over the plains. Just like when we first met, you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. When I called your name and you looked at me, it was with great relief and something more. That clinched it for me. Wiped away any doubts that were floating around, even after I had made up my mind that I had to marry you. You were pissed at me. I don't blame you. I'd be pissed off, too. Regardless of my intentions, I did leave you behind. Just know that I didn't abandon you. I could tell you were more pissed at yourself than you were at me so I asked you what the deal was. Your response is typical for a woman like you, who was born swinging a sword. I admire your strength but people like you tend to forget that it's okay to depend on someone or act like it makes you weak. I wanted to be the man you could depend on because I know you were a woman I could depend on. I couldn't stop myself then so I shut you up with a kiss.

Gods, I wanted to kiss you for so long. Thanks to my heightened senses, your scent changed and told me everything I needed to know without you needing to put it to words. You had wanted this, too. I knew then that you loved me as much as I loved you. When we broke apart, I decided to ask you about that strange brand on your neck. I remember when I first saw you a long time ago. You didn't have it then. I wondered where it came from and who did it to you. You explained it was from an old enemy, what it translated to, and what you think it meant. I could live with your explanation. This enemy of your is dead. He's not a threat to me or you. It was the right moment now. I pulled out the amulet out and watched with a smile as your eyes widened, the meaning not lost on you. I explained my intentions and gave the full reason why it took me so long to come back to you. I assured you I could wait for you to come to terms with any doubts before you gave me your answer.

I look back on the day you accepted my proposal and laugh. You and Athis were having a massive argument when I came topside from my room. I saw that the idiot had a hold of the amulet I had given you and I won't lie. I was a little afraid you were going to reject me. So imagine my surprise when you strode right up to me and kissed me in full view of everyone. I wasn't expecting it so I was bit stunned at how bold you were. You're not exactly shy but you're a fairly private woman. I didn't come to my senses until after you dragged me to your house and we were alone together. I could tell Athis upset you and I wanted to gut-punch him so hard for doing that. But still...I had to know your answer since it seemed you had one. When you told me you accepted...I can't put to words the joy I felt. When we kissed, I was sorely tempted to take you to your room but when the events at Jorrvaskr caught up with you, those thoughts went out the window because of how embarrassed you got. It was adorable.

That's when reality set in. I was about to get my wish to make you my wife but I remembered that I was a werewolf. I admitted that I knew Aela and Skjor wanted to make you one of us and with marriage in the picture now, they were going to insist even more. Eriah...I love you but I don't want you to carry this curse. Sure, becoming a werewolf like me would provide you with the stamina needed to keep up with me in bed and make it less likely for you to get terribly injured but is the cost worth it? It's no secret to anyone who knows you that you're a free spirit and you have a distaste for the Daedric Princes. Would servitude to Hircine be worth keeping yourself safe from my feral side, the side that has wanted to ravage you for some time now? Even as I voice my thoughts on the matter, you assure me you've thought of everything that comes with being in marriage to a werewolf.

In the end, this choice is yours alone. Becoming like myself was still in the cards if you deemed it necessary. What went unspoken is that you just want us married first and to worry about everything else later. So I left you with a kiss and a promise to keep the other Companions off your tail while you left for Riften. I was fully prepared for what was coming my way when I showed myself but I knew you had enough for one day. I hope to see you soon, love. We'll leave Riften as husband and wife, ready to make a life together. I promise to love and protect you always.


	9. Samuel

_This drabble focuses on Samuel first meeting Eriah in Part 1 of the two-shot_ _ **Children of the Dragonborn**_ _._

I was having a really bad day. Grelod the Kind was long gone and Constance was a much better matron for us. But I guess I was despairing at the thought Grelod spent her last remaining years drilling into our heads that no one wanted us, we would age out of the orphanage, and be left to struggle. I hated it there. We all did. Don't get me wrong. Constance has done a lot for us and our lives improved a great deal. We even started hoping that soon we'd all get families. I guess the abuse hit me hardest because I was practically born into Honorhall because my real mother worked there...but she died when I was born. So I don't remember her very well. Never knew who my father was.

Even though it was against the rules, I decided to sneak out. I was good at that. I was very mad because I really believed at the time that I was going to be stuck there until I turned sixteen and got thrown out. Sure, I had a good seven years to go but I was still worried about how I was going to make it on my own. Grelod never taught us any skills to help us have a chance. I guess that day I decided that when I got out, I was just going to have go into thievery just to survive. I guess that's why I tried to pickpocket Brynjolf. I knew who he was and who he was associated with but I didn't care. I just decided that if I could successfully pickpocket him, I knew I had what it took to survive.

I guess it was only natural that he caught me. I won't lie but I was afraid that he was going to hit me. Grelod dished out punishments for the smallest infractions. That's when you came, Ma. Just as he was getting ready to hit me, you showed up out of nowhere and stopped him. I was in awe. I remember seeing you around Riften before, having watched you from Honorhall. You got Brynjolf to let me go and I will gladly admit my fear was replaced by admiration. You told me to scat while you smoothed things over. I didn't need telling twice. I went back to Honorhall, only to be scolded gently by Constance who noticed I had disappeared. I was afraid of getting punished but Constance did her best to assure me that she didn't want me to get hurt and that's why I couldn't go outside without supervision. I promised I wouldn't do it again and went to sit in the corner.

A few minutes later, my friends and I heard the door open and to my great surprise, there you were. My pride was still smarting a bit from getting scolded but like my friends, I was curious about why you were there. We knew Constance had sent out flyers asking people to come adopt us but it didn't cross my mind that's why you were there. At least, not until we heard Constance practically squeal with delight that you were there to adopt and started asking specific questions. I wasn't close enough to hear your answers very well but I could hear Runa whispering to Hroar excitedly about something you said. When you came in to look at us, I just stayed in my corner with my own thoughts. Since you're a Nord, I kind of figured you'd want a Nord child like Runa or Hroar. Francois and I are both Imperials. I was kind of surprised when you sat down near me and addressed me. I felt shy because you had helped me out before. You told me how impressed you were when Constance told you that I pretty much acted as a shield for my friends when Grelod was still alive. That's when you dropped the bombshell and asked if I wanted to come home with you.

Ma, no force in Nirn, Aetherius, or Oblivion could've kept me from saying yes. It's like the gods answered my prayers that I would find a place to call home. When I learned you're the Dragonborn and Pa's one of the Companions, I knew that I was being adopted into a great family. It was like my great reward for all the suffering I went through. When we left the orphanage together after I said my goodbyes, I couldn't keep my questions to myself. I had to learn everything I could about you and Pa. I was excited but scared all the same. What if you decided you didn't want me anymore? Since you're the Dragonborn, I kind of figured you'd be away from home most of the time. That doesn't bother me really because I'd still have a home. But what if your adventuring makes you decide that you don't have time for me? Those questions still bother me. I haven't confided in you or Pa about them because I don't want you to worry or think less of me. I guess after the initial excitement wore off, I starting being cautiously optimistic. Maybe, someday, I'll feel safe enough to open up about my worries. For now, I just want to savor the moment.

Come what may, I'm really happy I have you in my life now, Ma. You, Pa, Bran, and Lydia are my family and I'm grateful you chose me to be your son. I had gone so long without much hope for the future but I think I've learned to keep going. I promise to be the best son that I can be and even though I'm an Imperial by birth, I just know I'm a Nord at heart and I hope I get to go to Sovngarde, too. Thank you for everything, Ma. I think with your help, I can really heal from Grelod's abuse and I pray every night that my friends get homes, too. I know you hope so as well.


	10. Sofie

_A drabble where Sofie tells of when she first saw Eriah and covers when Eriah joined the Stormcloaks, suspended her service to take care of Miraak, and when she came to adopt her in the second part of the_ _ **Children of the Dragonborn**_ _two-shot._

Ma, I've been thinking a lot lately. Mostly about the day you and Samuel came to me and asked me to join the family. I had nothing. No family, no home, and very little money. My father was gone. He died serving in the war. I didn't know how I was going to live. So I decided to start selling flowers to anyone who could spare a coin. Every night, I'd go and sleep near Calixto's shop. I was always hungry and always cold. I used to wonder how I managed to survive on my own as long as I did. Looking back on it, I think the gods were keeping me alive because they wanted to bring us together. I would stand by the docks all day and wonder how long it would be before Jarl Ulfric would ship me off to Riften like he did Aventus.

I never told you but I had been out on the streets for a good six months when I first saw you. I was walking near Candlehearth when you came in. I ducked out of sight because I didn't want you to see me. I don't know why. I hadn't done anything. I think the way you carried yourself was probably why. You looked so proud and sure of yourself, like you had everything figured out. You walked right by where I was hiding, heading for the Palace. I watched you go, following you a bit and stopping by the fire where Silda was. She smiled at me and asked me if I knew who you were. I said no and she told me you were the Dragonborn. I was surprised. I heard rumors of the Dragonborn but didn't expect it to be a pretty figured you were on your way to ask Jarl Ulfric if you could join the rebellion. She also knew you were the one who solved the murder mystery in Windhelm. I was saddened when Calixto was revealed to be the murderer. He was nice to me and sometimes gave me bread to eat. Learning he was killing people made me wonder if he had planned to hurt me at some point.

Ever since that day, I grew to admire you. I listened to visitors and soldiers speak of your exploits. I looked forward to your visits to the city to report on the Stormcloaks' successes. I still kept out of sight whenever you arrived because I felt like I wasn't worth your time when you had so many important things to do. I was sad when I heard that you were heading to Solstheim on a private matter because it meant I wouldn't see you for a long time. I worried about the war effort suffering while you were gone because it seems you were the reason the Stormcloaks were starting to gain ground. I was happy when I heard you had come back after about two or three months. But when you came into the city from the docks, I noticed how you had changed. You seemed sad, almost heartbroken, as you hauled a chest towards the Palace. You looked like you lost someone dear to you. I followed and waited in my usual spot for you to come out. When you did, you didn't have the chest anymore and then you were gone. I didn't see you again for a long time.

When you did come back to Windhelm, I learned from Silda that you had bought what we dubbed the Murder House, Hjerim. It wasn't a stretch to assume you had paid quite a bit of gold to have it cleaned and furnished but the big question was why did you want the house? I guess the house's history didn't bother you so much, even though you had to have seen whatever Calixto had done in there. You left again but were back a month later. This time, you were in the company of a man and a boy my age. I realized with a jolt that you were married and the boy must've been adopted by you because he was an Imperial child. The thought made me sad because I didn't think you'd want an urchin like me for a daughter and I wasn't sure I'd want to live in the Murder House. But after some soul-searching, I decided I didn't care. I wanted a home, even if it was Hjerim. I just didn't know how to really approach you because I didn't want to bother you. So I just continued the way I had done for so long, praying that some stroke of luck would come my way.

I thank the Divines that Jarl Ulfric brought me to your attention. I had already met Samuel a couple times but I was too shy to really explain what I was really up to, selling flowers. I guess he always knew I was homeless but he didn't know how to talk to me about my situation. I didn't mind. I was glad to have a friend. So when he arrived with you in tow, I was rather speechless. I had always made a point to avoid having you see me up until then and the feeling I wasn't good enough came back. Samuel introduced you and and then he said you wanted to take me in. I sometimes laugh at my reaction. I remember my face getting really hot. When you said Jarl Ulfric brought me to your attention, a small piece of me wondered if you were just doing what you were asked and if you actually didn't want me. But Ma, I know those doubts were false. You genuinely wanted to take me in. How could I say no? I hugged you like I had never hugged anyone. Already life was starting to turn around.

I admit I hesitated a bit when we got to Hjerim. But I swallowed my nervousness of being in the house and of meeting my new pa and followed you, Samuel, and Bran in. I couldn't let the house's history ruin a good thing. When I came in, I was greeted by the sight of a cozy home. It was like nothing bad ever happened there. I really had nothing to fear there. Pa came up to us and knelt down at my level. I felt very shy but like Samuel said, he's a lot nicer than he looks. I felt at home for the first time in a long time. You left not long after to tell Jarl Ulfric I was now in your care. Pa and Samuel showed me around the house and I was settled into the small room I would share with Samuel. He showed me the secret room in the one wardrobe and told me that was where everything had gone down when Hjerim was used as the Murder House. The room was now home to an enchanting table and alchemy lab. I must admit that a little cleaning and making the house a livable home did a lot to continue distancing its past from its present in my mind. I don't know what I was so scared of. I liked the house better than I thought I would. I guess it's because you, Pa, Bran, Calder, and Samuel are all here with me. You make the house safe and keep the evil committed within its walls away.

Ma, I promise to be the best daughter I can be. You sacrificed a lot for me and Samuel since you took us in. You're not home a lot of the time but I'm not lonely like I was when I was living on the streets. I was happy when Vix followed me home and you let me keep her. Samuel had Bran but I wasn't sure you'd let me keep a fox. Pa had no objections but said that I needed permission from you as well. You said I could as long as I could be responsible for her the way Samuel is with Bran. I will do my part. I'm forever grateful for the chance I've been given and I hope other kids without homes will find new ones eventually. Thank you for everything, Ma.


End file.
